Dominic McGregor said he chose to pay a car parking fine as it was cheaper than the cost of multi-storey parking in Spinningfields
15:09, 21 Mar 2026Updated 16:04, 21 Mar 2026
A man says he decided to pay a parking fine in Spinningfields as it was cheaper than a multi-storey car park (Image: Lancs Live)
A man commuting in Manchester said he chose to risk getting a parking ticket, knowing that the fine would be cheaper than paying to use a city centre multi-storey car park.
Dominic McGregor was commuting from his home in Cheshire to Manchester when he realised it would be cheaper to be fined for using on-street parking than pay to use an NCP car park in Spinningfields. Mr McGregor, who lives in Alderley Edge and runs an investment fund company, was attending a business conference in Manchester when he realised he would need to cough up a £35 parking fee to stay in an NCP car park in Spinningfields for over six hours, the BBC reports.
On-street parking is limited to two hours in the area, with a £50 fine handed out to motorists who exceed this limit. However by paying the fine within 14 days, the charge was reduced to £25 for Mr McGregor – making the overall cost £10 less than NCP’s car parking fee.
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Mr McGregor, 32, told the BBC: “I’m happier paying a parking ticket than pay to a private enterprise, as at least I know my money is going somewhere. I’d rather my money go to the council, going towards child and adult social services, than debt and mismanagement.”
The 32-year-old said the Spinningfield’s NCP site was the most convenient location for him, and that travelling by train would be more expensive than driving into the city.
McGregor added: “NCP as a business can’t be sustainable if taking a fine is cheaper than leaving your car in the secure car park for six hours. They don’t put the customer at the heart of what they’re trying to achieve.”
NCP declined to comment.